The government's repairs to New Orleans' hurricane-damaged levees may put the French Quarter in greater danger than it was before Hurricane Katrina, a weakness planners said couldn't be helped, at least for now.

A former New Orleans police officer charged in the videotaped beating of a man after Hurricane Katrina has apparently shot himself to death, about a month before his trial was to begin, authorities said Monday.

Sights, sounds, even smells can be found throughout New Orleans to remind visitors the Big Easy is on the rebound. Jazz all but summons revelers to Bourbon Street's temptations. The French Quarter's aromas lure diners to indulge in jambalaya or perhaps crawfish touffe. Then there was the whooping and hollering that heralded the successful return of Thoroughbred racing to Fair Grounds Race Course, which has operated since 1872 but was rendered silent for one season by Hurricane Katrina.

The tables are dressed in crisp, white linen. Many of the signature dishes that made Galatoire's restaurant an institution on New Orleans' Bourbon Street the Oysters Rockefeller, the Salad Maison, the Trout Amandine are on the menu.

The Chicago Bears quietly arrived Sunday in Florida for the week-long bacchanal leading to Super Bowl XLI. From all appearances, it was a largely uneventful trip, unlike 21 years ago when the franchise's starting quarterback stewed in his brew because the Bears wouldn't permit him to take his acupuncturist on the team flight to New Orleans.

Dear Destiny ... Been hearing your name quite a bit lately. A bunch of pro football players are throwing it around. You're quite the flirt, aren't you? The playoff survivors wrapped around your finger, all thinking they're the chosen one. And why not, after the past weekend, when you cooed at the winners from coast to coast?

Dear Destiny ... Been hearing your name quite a bit lately. A bunch of pro football players are throwing it around. You're quite the flirt, aren't you? The playoff survivors wrapped around your finger, all thinking they're the chosen one. And why not, after the past weekend, when you cooed at the winners from coast to coast?

In an earlier version of this story the starting salary of a New Orleans police officer was incorrect. It is $30,732. The reference has been removed.

Crime is bedeviling a city trying to recover from Hurricane Katrina. There have been 147 people killed in New Orleans this year, police say, down from 204 by this time in 2005. But the city's population is about half what it was before Katrina flooded 80% of the city, forcing an almost-complete evacuation.

Saxophone in hand, a Bourbon Street sidewalk as his stage and the New Orleans Saints at his side, street musician Karl Milton Pierce is nearing the end of a slow and soulful performance of When the Saints Go Marching In. He finishes, sees no potential contributors for his tip bucket and immediately reaches down to turn up the volume on his portable radio.

A year after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is desperately seeking tourists. The areas where tourists go largely escaped devastation and are anxiously awaiting visitors to come and spend money. Plenty of hotel rooms are again available, most of New Orleans' world-renowned restaurants are open and events such as Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest are back.